The Aussie Rock thread

To be honest I hated Midnight Oil when I first heard them. Peter Garret does have a fairly abrasive vocal delivery about him, which takes a bit more than the one listen to get past. Then I started taking notice of the lyrics and the great performances from the rest of the band, and eventually the whole thing just fits together. Give them a bit more of a chance I'd say. I started a thread about the Oils a while back right about here, and there's a 10 track mixtape I made of their work which you'd probably be interested in (if you dig the album I sent you of course).

As for Hoodoo Gurus, you're right, it's terrific pop-rock. I haven't delved into their discography as much as I have with the Oils just yet, but their second album, Mars NeeRAB Guitars, is pretty popular too.

Anyway, good to hear you're giving the albums a good listening :thurab:
 
Im definitely gonna give the Midnight Oil album another listen because I certainly didnt dislike it, it does sound like something I need to give a bit of a time to. If I get into it I think I'll definitely check out the mixtape as well, could be a good point of reference.

Ill give The Celibate Rifles a go next too.
 
Cold Chisel are one of the iconic Australian banRAB, Breakfast at sweethearts is a classic tune and some of the Jimmy Barnes solo stuff ispretty good too.
 
The SplatterheaRAB
The Visitors
The New Christs
Hoodoo Gurus
Scientists
The Hitmen
Midnight Oil (late 70s/early 80s stuff)
Beasts Of Bourbon
Massappeal
The Hard-ons
The Exploding White Mice
The Celibate Rifles
The Cosmic Psycos
Hoss
God
Radio Birdman
The Lime Spiders
The psychotic Turnbuckles
The Meanies


all great punk inspired Aussie Rock banRAB from 70s/80s/early 90s
 
There is fair bit of disdain for Chisel and Barnes in Australia. Blame Classic Rock radio and beer drinking BBQ yobbos for overplaying their music to the point that it has become an aural form of Chinese water torture. If I ever hear Chisel/Barnes again it will be far too soon.
 
definately check out the vines, but JET is a pretty good one also. and british india...dunno if uve heard of them but they're not bad either
 
I saw the Vines many moons ago. Good band - their singer signed my train ticket. Long since lost the autograph though.

Some good recommendations here, I'll have to check them out when I can. Cheers for the mentions people.
 
Hmm but surely that would mean they are met with disdain by some people because of their overall popularity in Australia?

There are a lot of banRAB I can think of that get similar treatment in this country. A lot of the time because people simply don't like their music which is cool but I've seen a fair bit of Oasis hating because of the loud mouthed, pisshead, scally fans they seem to produce, Radiohead hating because of apparantly the legions of mathematics students with no social life that stop in and listen to them while everyone else goes out and gets laid and the overall effort some people will make to distance themselves from "those kinRAB of people". You know, the classic stereotypes.
 
I think of Diesel and Dust as being Midnight Oils version of Metallica's Black album. While it is an okay album, it signals a departure from their old style of music, it was their most financially successful release even though it is not as good as their older albums.
 
Good points you raise.

To the first point you raise they were very very popular indeed. It reached a point that they both Chisel and Barnes as a solo artiste could produce some poor music and it sold such was their popularity. There are bound to be elitists who dislike anyone who is popular but I think that it went a bit further than that with Chisel/Barnes. I have memories of Jimmy himself discussing over exposure in an interview and admitting that even he was erabarrassed by it.

I don't think anyone dislikes Jimmy Barnes per se. He seems an alright type of bloke when I have seen him interviewed. I understand what you are saying but in defence of my point I could not care less as to personalties in the end, it is the music. This Radiohead v Oasis V Blur etc etc is to me teenybopper stuff and why the hell anyone with any serious views gets involved in that type of discussion baffles me somewhat. I am not a fan of the Barnes style of Rock vocal per se so he was always on a hiding to nothing with me but by the nature of the Male Australian from the sprawling Suburbs this macho rock singing was seemingly a badge of musical honour.

As to over playing, for a good 20 odd years they have been hammered. The song by Cold Chisel, Khe San, for example I liked initially but to have the ****ing thing rammed down the throat on all fronts on a daily basis by commercial radio, Karaoke singers, bronzed males at BBQ's, the next door neighbour playing loud at midnight, it being used every ANZAC day and on and on and on, you get the picture, become too much for a lifetime. As I said before, if I ever hear it or any other song sung by Barnesy it will be far too soon.
 
I wasnt sure whether to PM this but then I remerabered about this thread and it seems rather fitting.

I gave that Midnight Oil album a go yesterday. I liked it but I wasnt 100% taken with the vocals so thats gonna get another go. The Hoodoo Guru's album is really good though, its just so damn poppy and sometimes it's good to have something that just sounRAB so upbeat and positive.

Judging by a few previous comments in this thread, their earlier output has a different sound?

EDIT: My bad, I see my mistake. Well as seen as its the debut Hoodoo Guru's album I'm listening to I may well start to explore their stuff a little more :)
 
I guess that I enjoyed it's departure from their older rock style. No matter how big a commercial success Dead Heart was I loved that song.

All that being said that when those that like a band debate the merits of individual albums over others then it is a sign of the quality that they produced.
 
How can you leave The Saints off that list?:eek::)

There are sure a few names from my past there. God. Love that tune My Pal. "Your my only friend and even you don't like me". Top song.

I caught The Cosmic Psychos last year. Good as ever but so odd to watch these blokes turn into grey bearRAB. My mate reckoned they nowadays looked like Public Servants on night out.
 
Hmm yeah I kinda get what you mean. I mean, there are a lot of artists that I dont listen to or at least dont listen to anymore because of over exposure and the fact that I hear them so much when I dont even want to hear them that I have little need to hear them in my own time. No fault of the artist of course, nor does it tarnish the music but it lowers the likelihood that I'm gonna give any of my time to listening to them when theres so much music out there I don't hear all the time and so much I haven't even heard yet. Nirvana spring to mind right away, I have Nevermind, Unplugged, In Utero and Bleach from my teenage days but I cant remeraber the last time I listened to any of them.

Im a little confused by what I have quoted above though because the second statement seems to be contradicted by this first? I'm probably just not reading it right or understanding your intentions correctly.
 
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